Unless you’re satisfied with what you’ve achieved so far, I don’t see why an SEO person wouldn’t jump at the mention of conference opportunities. These events are designed to help you grow, network, learn, and get better at what you love doing.
If you’ve missed the 2021 editions, another opportunity is right here. And to encourage you even further, we’ve compiled events happening online and offline. So, if you don’t have the time or money to travel across the oceans to attend an event in Germany, you can at least sit in the comfort of your room and join a Zoom gathering.
Scroll down to find out some of the best SEO and digital marketing events happening in 2022.
1. SEJ eSummit
Who is hosting this event?
Search Engine Journal
Who is Search Engine Journal and what’s its reputation?
Search Engine Journal (SEJ) is a top SEO marketing community that offers quality updates on everything SEO-related – How-to articles, guides, latest news, etc.
In terms of reputation, SEJ will always have a place in any ranking of the best SEO blogs out there. This is because the brand is one of the oldest in the industry. They’ve been around for nearly two decades – since 2003.
Information about event
SEJ’s summit is an online SEO conference. Meaning you can join from anywhere in the world. Although the date for this year’s edition (2022) hasn’t yet been published, interested individuals can still access content from the eSummit 2021 edition. SEJ says they will make that available until the next event date. The event itself cost $350 to join back in 2021. You may need to contact SEJ to know how much it costs to get a copy now.
What are the subjects discussed?
SEJ eSummit sought to dissect the latest SEO trends, social media, PPC, and content marketing topics. If these sound like areas that interest you, you really should consider getting a copy of the event.
Who were the speakers?
Martin Splitt was a top speaker at the 2021 eSummit. Do you know who that is? Hmmm. Not sure. Well, he’s a developer advocate at the Google Search Relations team in Zurich.
Also in attendance were Wil Reynolds (founder of digital strategy at Seer Interactive), Lily Ray (NYC-based SEO professional, DJ, and drummer), Amy Bishop, and SEJ’s Founder himself, Loren Baker.
2. SMX München
Who is hosting this event?
Rising Media and Search Engine Land
Who are Rising Media and Search Engine Land, and what’s their reputation?
Search Engine Land is a world-renowned search marketing industry publication. It’s a credible source for information involving SEO and PPC. On the other hand, Rising Media is a conference-organizing platform that brings pros from around the world to deliver top-line and deep-dive insights about the internet and technology-related concepts.
Both companies have been around for almost two decades, with Search Engine Land coming into the business in 2006 and Rising Media coming in around 2005.
Information about event
SMX Munich is a two-day hybrid event between March 16–17, 2022. We call it hybrid because it has both offline and online editions. So, depending on what your schedule is like, you’re free to choose between these two options. Although we’d advise that you choose the offline option (happening in Munich, Germany) as it gives you great networking opportunities.
The event, SMX Munich, itself has a reputation for being the largest conference for search marketing in Germany. So you know you’re coming to meet some of the top brains from around the world.
Another exciting reason to consider the in-person edition is that there will be workshop opportunities. Here, you can get hands-on experience with top professionals and industry experts from around the world.
Mind you, SMX Munich will cost between €350 and €1,099. You can find more information here on the conference’s official website:
Website: https://smxmuenchen.de/en
What are the subjects to be discussed?
Basically, SMX Munich will cover topics including SEO, PPC/SEM, optimal keyword research, content marketing, data analytics, and other core subjects in the search marketing space. Also, the organizers have boasted that attendees can be certain there would be no ‘generic search marketing blah.’ They claim you should expect cutting-edge tactics and strategies that can be used to tackle any search marketing challenges you’re facing.
Who are the speakers?
Rand Fishkin (Founder SparkToro), Greg Gifford (Vice President of Search Marketing SEARCHLAB), Samuel Schmitt (Founder thruuu), Jono Alderson (Yoast), and many others.
3. Women in Tech SEO Festival
As the name implies, this is an event for women in the technical SEO space. If this sounds like you, then London is where you want to be on February 25, 2022. Ooops, sorry, we’re already in March.
OMG, that’s unfortunate. This event has happened already.
Then, you must be wondering, ‘why add it to the list when it’s already happened?’
Well, because the organizers have made it possible to download recordings from the actual event. That means even though you missed the main event, you can still enjoy the knowledge, tips, and updates shared.
Who is hosting this event?
Areej AbuAli is the founder of this event.
Who is Areej AbuAli, and what’s her reputation?
Areej Abuali is an experienced data and SEO analyst. She’s widely known for building platforms that support females in the tech space. She has Facebook and Slack groups that are home to thousands of females in the SEO industry.
Currently, she works with giant British real estate company Zoopla, where she holds the role of SEO manager. She handles the company’s technical and on-site SEO endeavors. Recently, she won the Search Engine Land Award for Advancing Diversity and Inclusion in Search Marketing.
Information about event
As earlier mentioned, this is an event aimed at women in the technical SEO field. As with most female-themed events, this conference is designed to bring females together to learn from one another, share ideas, gain insights, and network.
Right now, you can only buy online tickets to post-event recordings. That will cost you £99 before 20% VAT. For information on how to go about that, you can check the official website here.
Website: https://www.womenintechseo.com/conference/
What are the subjects to be discussed?
Being a technical SEO conference, you can expect to find topics involving technical SEO concepts. Although the main event is aimed at achieving four aims, including
- To Analyze
- To Advance
- To Innovate
- To Empower
To achieve those, the topics covered include,
- Creating targeted content specific to a buyer’s journey
- Successful SEO reporting
- Machine learning for SEOs
Who are the speakers?
Rejoice Oijaku, Aleyda Solis, Lazarina Stoy, amongst others.
4. BrightonSEO
Who is hosting this event?
BrightonSEO is the brainchild of Rough Agenda. A company founded by Kelvin Newman.
What is Rough Agenda, and what’s its reputation?
Rough Agenda is a company that specializes in the organization of digital marketing events. Amongst their list of events includes BrightonSEO, Contentmarketingshow, Measurefest, and Biddable world.
As with most names we’ve mentioned throughout this post, Kevin Newman, the founder of Rough Agenda, is a man of enviable reputation. In 2013, Kelvin Newman won the Search Personality award at the UK search awards. Then he followed that up with another milestone a year later, in 2014, when he was voted the most influential digital individual by the consultancy. So you see, this man has the reputation and credibility to organize SEO conferences.
Information about event
BrightonSEO is a bi-annual search marketing conference and training event that happens around April and September.
According to Rough Agenda, this event is attended by over 3500 digital marketers from across the globe. That makes it the biggest SEO conference in the whole of Europe by a mile.
This event happens online and offline. Now, whether you get to attend the in-person edition or watch online depends on the class of signup ticket you buy. However, we recommend buying the “in-person friend” tier, which grants you access to the in-person conference and an online re-watch opportunity.
The dates for the first sessions in the year are:
In-person edition = April 7–8, 2022
Online = April 21–22, 2022
However, a new date will be agreed upon and revealed for the September sessions later.
Again, we advise you to try to attend the in-person event. BrightonSEO receives over three thousand attendees. That’s a lot of potential clients and colleagues to mingle with. You never can tell what new networks you will build there. Plus, there’s also the possibility of meeting people you can strike business deals with. Remember, 3k+ digital marketers in one place are a lot of prospects!
Finally, BrightonSEO is happening in Brighton, UK. And it will cost £660 before 20% VAT for in-person attendees. However, the show is free for people looking to follow the event online.
Website: e: https://www.brightonseo.com/
What are the subjects to be discussed AND who are the speakers
- Why scaling great content is bloody hard (Ahrefs’ Joshua Hardwick)
- SEO at scale: The product-led approach to growing a brand organically (Nitin Manchanda, CHIEF GROWTH OFFICER AT CUDDLYNEST)
- Mastering robots.txt: SEO insights by an ex-Google engineer (Fili Wiese, ex-Google engineer and former senior member of the Google Search Quality team)
5. SEO on the Beach
Personally, I’m excited about SEO on the Beach. It promises to be fun. And I just can’t wait.
Information about event
For the Spanish-loving SEO geeks in the house, SEO on the Beach is what you’ll call a perfect blend of fun and business. This two-day event, which is scheduled for June 17–18, 2022, is an in-person conference, and it’s happening in La Manga, Spain.
Yeah, I know… I know… I know… traveling to Europe is a long journey. Wait till you hear the perks of the event.
SEO on the Beach is far from your regular everyday business conference. This is a once-in-a-lifetime kind of program. And if last year’s edition was any indication, it is an event you don’t want to miss.
For starters, the tagline for the event says, “Two days of leisure to do business.” Apparently, that tells you you’re not coming to sit through hours of talk, talk, talk. At SEO on the beach, you’ll pour some wine, play some exciting games, and network over booze.
To be honest, that’s not something you find everywhere. Most conferences are usually so straight-to-the-point that they sometimes get boring for attendants. SEO on the beach takes the boringness away from the picture by throwing in games and fun.
As of now, the event price hasn’t yet been announced. But you can follow the official website to keep track of when that information drops.
Website: https://seonthebeach.es/
What are the subjects to be discussed AND who are the speakers
It’s believed that SEO on the Beach will look to address common subjects like PPC, Content Marketing, link building, data & analytics, the latest SEO tools, and search ranking factors.
That said, what makes the event even more appealing to the ears is the roster of speakers expected to be in attendance.
Talk about Gary Illyes (Webmaster Trends Analyst at Google), Gaston Riera (SEO Specialist at Envato), Iván García (SEO consultant and link building expert. RockROI), Aleyda Solis (International SEO consultant and founder of Orainti), and Michael King (Marketing Director, Developer, and tactical SEO at various levels, including Publicis Modem and Razorfish).
Other Notable Mentions
Mon, March 14, 2022 – Wed, March 16, 2022, | San Diego, California
Hosted by Social Media Examiner
Target areas of discussion: How to leverage social media channels for improved digital marketing purposes, SEO included.
- South by Southwest (SXSW)
March 11–20, 2022 | Austin, Texas
Target areas of discussion: How to create brand awareness and experiential storytelling. Basically, this event wants to teach attendants how to market using the power of storytelling.
3. PubCon Florida
Date to be disclosed soon. But you can keep track here
Website: https://www.pubcon.com/pubcon-florida-2020
Target areas of discussion: The latest trends and strategies in SEO, PPC, and Google Analytics.